Go For It - My 2010 Diary of Need!

ceebeeby

Week 8 (w/c 22/02/10) Meal Planning

What's left in the store AFTER all plans have been made

Planned Shop for 21/02/10 - everything gets used up
Budget Available - £9.98 plus £6 Tesco Vouchers

Bread x 2 in Farmfoods £1.00
Fruit £1.00
Milk £1.50 (Farm Foods)
Ham / cold meat- 50p
Sandwich Spreads – 40p
Crisps – 55p
Marg – 1kg for £1.50
Sausages for Casserole - £1.00
TOTAL - £7.45
Pets
Cat Food - £2.17
Total: 2.17

Freezer

1 pkt fish-fingers
1 Lemon Chicken
2 Loaves Bread
Crumpets
Veggy Food (nacho burgers, sausage)
Green beans, mushrooms, spinach
Left over corn beef hash
1 pepperoni pizzas
½ pkt veggie mince
1/2 bag of frozen strawberries
vanilla icecream
1 pkt w/w tortilla wraps
½ pkt frozen mash
2 pkts Quorn Pieces
Potato Wedges / chips

Fridge

Lemon Curd / Marmalade / Jam
Beer!
Butter / Trex
Cheese

Cupboards

Dried Spagetti - large packet
1 bags of rice
1 bags of pasta
7 pkts value noodles
1 tin meatballs
1 tin tomatos
1 tin chick peas
6 tins of beans
2 tins of spaghetti
2 tins of soup
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Curry Sauce
Bolognaise Sauce
Chilli Sauce
Herbs /spices / stock cubes / Ketchups (every flavour) (lots)
Cereal: frosties / weetabix / porridge / cornflakes
Tea / Hot Chocolate / Sugar
All sorts of home baking stuff incl. 2 jars mincemeat
6 tins rice pudding
2 tins sliced peaches
jelly / angel delight
4 pkts instant custard
Biscuits and crisps (not much)
Drinking squash

Monday 22nd February
Cereal
Sarnies
Lemon Chicken and Rice

Tuesday 23rd February
Cereal
Sarnies
Macaroni Cheese with Gammon Chunks (left-over from Sat)

Wednesday 24th February
Cereal
Sarnies / Soup
Pizza or Nacho Burgers, chips, beans

Thursday 25th February
Cereal
Wraps or Sarnies
Soup or Noodles with Bread

Friday 26th February
Cereal
Sarnies
Left-over corn beef hash

Saturday 27th February
Cereal / Toast
Rolls
Fish-fingers / left-over corn beef hash

Sunday 28th February
Porridge
Sausage Casserole / Mash / Veg
Toast / Crumpets etc.

ceebeeby

Day 50 - Friday 19th February
Money Spent - £zero
Extra Money Earnt - zero
Ebay Challenge (Target £88 in Feb) - Total for Today: £0 Total for Month: £84.94
Number of ebay items listed: Total for Today:0 Total for Month: 24
Money Saved - £zero
Hours / Days since last cigarette - 1M, 2 wk, 4 day
Number of sweets / cakes etc. NONE - gave them up for lent - day 3/40
Week weigh in on a Thursday: (12.10) + 1lb = 4 / 35lb HL Score: 8/10
Flying Stars: 2/5 for this week
Sealed Pot Target: Year = £0/£500

Intergalactic_Floozie

I love the way you do your diary! Good luck with the weight loss, and congratulations on stopping smoking. You should do a running total even if you're not even putting the money to one side, like this:

Money NOT spent on cigarettes: £216 (£4.50 per pack x 48 days, could even be more depending on what you smoked).

Be proud of yourself!

ceebeeby

Day 51 - Saturday 20th February
Money Spent - £5.99 + £20.92 both shopping + £7 kids pocket money for visit today + £10 cashback for church / bus-fares etc. 60p in the bus fares pot.
Extra Money Earnt - zero
Ebay Challenge (Target £88 in Feb) - Total for Today: £0 Total for Month: £84.94
Number of ebay items listed: Total for Today:0 Total for Month: 24
Money Saved - £zero
Hours / Days since last cigarette - 1M, 2 wk, 5 day
Number of sweets / cakes etc. NONE - gave them up for lent - day 4/40
Week weigh in on a Thursday: (12.10) + 1lb = 4 / 35lb
HL Score: 8/10
Flying Stars: 2/5 for this week (nearly got the remaining 3)
Sealed Pot Target: Year = £0/£500

It never rains - it pours! Now the tumble dryer has packed in and I've wet washing everywhere!!! Of course, it couldn't have broken at the start of the summer could it!!!

Replace or fix ... or hang manky wet washing everywhere??

I blew the shopping budget :mad: up to £141.93 for the month - target was £125!

Intergalactic_Floozie

I had a tumble drier for most of my married life until it stopped working last April, which co-incided with DH getting made redundant so replacing it wasn't a priority.

Anyway my mum gave me a large clothes airer thingie with 20 bars, so I can hang a hell of a lot of items in there. I moved it into my bedroom and placed it by the window (south facing) and things actually get dry within 24 hours. If I keep up to date with my washing and do a load each day I can honestly say I haven't missed it.

Well - apart from fluffy towels, I do miss them, but it's not a priority in my life!

Also, my electricity bills have gone down from £55 DD to £32 per month, and as we still have lights, telly, radio etc on the same as we did last year, I can only put it down to being the drier.

ceebeeby

Day 52 - Sunday 21st February
Money Spent - zero
Extra Money Earnt - zero
Ebay Challenge (Target £88 in Feb) - Total for Today: £0 Total for Month: £84.94
Number of ebay items listed: Total for Today:0 Total for Month: 24
Money Saved - £zero
Hours / Days since last cigarette - 1M, 2 wk, 6 day
Number of sweets / cakes etc. NONE - gave them up for lent - day 5/40
Week weigh in on a Thursday: (12.10) + 1lb = 4 / 35lb
**HL Score: 2/10 @ time of posting
Flying Stars: 5/5 for this week :j(seems to be the only target I'm currently meeting!)
Sealed Pot Target: Year = £0/£500

13/18 NSD's which is pretty good - have got 4 days left to my revised end of month (Thursday) so won't meet the target properly, however, I think morally I will have .... hmmm doesn't count though does it.

Have done loads more to the house in my quest for my "make my house better" project that I don't think I've mentioned before. So, here's the thing - I live in this fairly big house, that needs a fortune spent on it to make it lovely (spot the problem ... no fortune to spend), so I'm trying to do wee bits and bobs to the house, within a very small budget or freebies to try to make it look better, and then I won't resent having to live here for the next forever and ever! My main issue is as I'm going round the house, tackling wee things, I keep finding other bits I'd like to 'fix' - but at present don't have a co-ordinated "I'd like that list" - so I'm going to add that to Page 1 and see how it goes!

ceebeeby

Day 53 - Monday 22nd February
Money Spent - £20.43
Extra Money Earnt - zero
Ebay Challenge (Target £88 in Feb) - Total for Today: £0 Total for Month: £84.94
Number of ebay items listed: Total for Today:0 Total for Month: 24
Money Saved - £zero
Hours / Days since last cigarette - 1M, 3 wk
Number of sweets / cakes etc. NONE - gave them up for lent - day 6/40
Week weigh in on a Thursday: (12.10) + 1lb = 4 / 35lb
HL Score: 8/10
Flying Stars: 0/5 for this week
Sealed Pot Target: Year = £0/£500

Ooops - another blow out on the grocery - but it was massive whoopsies on whole chickens and very reduced boxes of chocolates that I'm going to wrap up for Easter instead of eggs, so many overall savings (honest!!)

Am off to church later for an extra service, so I imagine there will be a teensy spend there (not begrudged!!!)

brizzledfw

Hello there just sat and read your diary..nice one. Like it! You're doing fantastically well - giving up smoking is excellent - not only MSE wise but for your health and that of your family. Its brilliant. Grumpy is acceptable if its a consequence of nicotine withdrawl! How are you about it? Are you not missing it as much?

You've also inspired me to set myself a goal for Ebay sales each month. That and Flylady..I have dabbled from time to time. Last time did myself proud on the declutter of 27 items..Freecycle, EBay and the charity shops did well as well as a wee bit of landfill!

Keep on going - looking forward to hearing about more of your successes.

ceebeeby

Day 54 - Tuesday 23rd February
Money Spent - £zero
Extra Money Earnt - £2.28
Ebay Challenge (Target £88 in Feb) - Total for Today: £2.28 Total for Month: £87.22
Number of ebay items listed: Total for Today:0 Total for Month: 24
Money Saved - £zero
Hours / Days since last cigarette - 1M, 3 wk, 1 day
Number of sweets / cakes etc. NONE - gave them up for lent - day 7/40
Week weigh in on a Thursday: (12.10) + 1lb = 4 / 35lb
HL Score: 1/10
Flying Stars: 0/5 for this week
Sealed Pot Target: Year = £0/£500

Hey brizzledfw, thanks so much for popping by and the words of encouragement!!!

I've not had a brilliant February to be honest, and seem to have missed quite a few of my targets.

NSD's - will hopefully end up with 15/18 by Thursday
EBay Sales - I'll meet this, as something I have for sale ends tomorrow night and has a bid on it :j so brings me in under the line
Flying Stars - I'll meet this
Lent no sweets, biscuits etc. I'll meet this
Grocery Challenge :eek: - Nope!!
Savings Pot - Will meet this if I go and get the money out of the bank tomorrow (is already budgeted for!!)
Reducing the debt - I think I counted it all up and it looked like there was £400 off.
No smoking - have stayed off, now not a prob at all :T

So - that I guess is a bit of a summary.

In March I need to add in some extra "spend time with children" targets as I feel as though all I do is work, clean, cook etc.

We do have 'family time' every night, but doesn't feel enough. Take now for example, I'm on the PC, one is studying for exam tomorrow, one is on laptop and DH is downstairs watching carp on TV - quite disfunctional! Will need to be inspired!

Thanks again for popping by!

OH .... I nearly forgot to say .... I got offered a new job today :j:j:j

ceebeeby

February Archive

My Goals

I've thought long and hard about these, because I hate failing at anything I start. So I've kept them ambitious but achievable:

1. Not to add anything whatsoever to credit.
2. To attempt where possible to make extra payments.
3. To lose 2 stone in weight in 12 months.
4. Give up smoking - starting midnight on the first of January.
5. Sell the house in Spain (update w/c 15/02 - house valued, and now E50k less than purchase price, so house now being let out for the summer as can't afford to drop that much, hold this over to 2011!!)

PLUS New in Feb:

6. Keep house clean by doing Flylady and earning stars
7. Not to purchase anything unless it's on a list!
8. To save enough money for a singley holiday and a family holiday without putting it on a CC
9. No toiletries until the last drop from the house has gone ... should be around 2012!!!
10. No book buying - walk to the library
11. Walk 10000 steps a day
12. Give up all sweets, crisps, biscuits and cakes for Lent
13. Make My House Better Project (started officially 21/02/10)

Make my House Better Project

(21/02/10) - vegetable peeling knife that doesn't hurt my fingers
(21/02/10) - 8 new pillows
(21/02/10) - 4 new lounge cushions
(21/02/10) - 2 x bathroom bins
(21/02/10) - bathroom decorations for shelves
(21/02/10) - radiator shelf in inner hall
(21/02/10) - shelf above coats in inner hall
(21/02/10) - get the tumble drier fixed
(21/02/10) - crystal candle holders for dining room shelf
(21/02/10) - matching picture frames for pics in display unit - lounge
(21/02/10) - tin of gloss paint for bathroom shelf, inner hall doors, downstair cloakroom
(21/02/10) - shelf storage unit for towels to get them off the floor until boiler is fixed
(21/02/10) - fix boiler / shelf cupboard / decorate hall
(21/02/10) - replace all windows (!)
(21/02/10) - new front doorbell
(21/02/10) - sort out outside lights front and back of house
(21/02/10) - quote for getting fence fixed
(21/02/10) - finish of edging stones in garden (£5 per bag - 6 needed)
(21/02/10) - put up whirly gig
(21/02/10) - paint outside fence (it's like the forth road bridge!)
(21/02/10) - turf edges of garden
(21/02/10) - lift up old chips and turf under
(21/02/10) - replace kitchen light fitting
(21/02/10) - replace inner hall light fitting

Number removed from the list so far: Nil

---

February 2010

Each month I'm going to start as if working from a zero bank balance in 1J, any excess to be held in 2S, and used towards paying a debt, holidays or savings.

My Debts (or the ones I'll currently admit too!)

CC1 - £6,630.57 (INTEREST ADDED ON). Limit £6,700. (interest 1.52% monthly) FEB Paid (£167.88). MAR BILL = £165.76 Next interest estimate £99.31
CC2 - £2,233.82 (1.77% monthly interest. Limit £2,400 - next interest estimate £39.21). FEB Paid (Bill was £52.51, however, paid £100)
Catalogue Account - £1,342.72-222.05=1120.73-197.88=£922.85 (0% interest) FEB Paid (£222.05) 2nd FEB bill Paid (£197.88)
Overdraft 1 - £1,450 Feb charges £10.50 on 10/02 FEB Paid
Overdraft 2 - £2,800 Feb charges £25.27 on 26/02
DD1 - £215-£100 (FEB paid) = £115
Mum - £2,200-£20 (DH B'day FEB paid) = £2,180
Gran - £1,000-£20 (Lottery FEB paid) = £980

START OF FEB TOTAL: £17,730.39

February 2010 Reviews

What's left in the pot after the bills have been paid:
First review: +225.15
Second review: +274.31 (British Gas reduction £12.50/DH birthday £25 cheaper)
Third review: +249.31 (DH present less, but car was more / estimated dentist cost)
Fourth review: +226.01 (extra paid out for holiday, unbudgeted meal out, left-over funds from January that weren't cleared - oops)
Fifth review: +206.01 (lottery - unbudgeted!!!)
Sixth review: +186.07 (present - unbudgeted - there's a theme here! however, £4 back in the pot from bus fares and because I'm rubbish beyond belief at Maths and I don't know why it's only this .. but it is!!!)
Seventh review: +£318.18 (errr ... I found the missing money I hadn't calculated that there was still £170 to be credited to account mid month ... oops!!)
Eighth review: + £266.98 (savings from bus fares, spend on ebay postage)
Ninth review: + £346.48 (download ebay sales to account, spend on ebay postage)
Tenth review: + £131.90 (fish tank stuff and diy bits and bobs, includes £90 fm ebay download, paid in full 2nd Littlewoods bill of 197.88)
Eleventh review: +113.42 (£32.48 for DIY shelves for garage, dentist £10 instead of £30, £10 fm cash machine - used for bus fares etc.)
Twelfth review: +£66.49 (overspent on shopping, kids pocket money, car parking, Nan - £20)
Thirteenth review: +46.03 (extra grocery spend)
Current review: +91.06 (return to the pot from underspend on fuel, general adjustment of 3p)


February's Paying Out List

Income: 2949.60
Estimated Bank 1J Outgoings 5.00 /37.69 (mortgage, taxes, utilities etc.)
Estimated Bank 2S Outgoings (still to go): 25.27 / 115.33
Estimated Additional Expenses: 0 remaining

Estimated Bank 2S Outgoings:
Phone - 38.84
Catalogue - 222.05
Car Ins - 20.12
CC1 - 167.88
Head in the sands 1 - 312.38
TVL - 12.18
Phone ins - 7.99
Life Ins 1 - 27.43
Life Ins 2 - 9.35
Int / Charge (est) 25.27
CC2 (est) - 100 (inc fm £55 as need to try and pay off!)
Total: £25.27


Estimated Additional Expenses Break Down:
Car Repairs (2 x brakes and discs) = £150 £170:eek:
DH's Birthday Present = £125 £100
DD Payback = £100
Petrol (£42.50 per week) x 4 weeks = £45 left - returned to the pot
Grocery Shopping (£25 per week @ 4 Weeks) & Pets Shopping (£25 total) = £0 left overspent by £16.93
School Bus x 5 days = £0
Clothes for DD3 = £30
Holiday Savings = £75 Paid in £100 however, have fully budgeted holiday and coming in at £600, so needed to increase savings to avoid the dreaded use of CC!!!
Dentist = £10
Unbudgeted meal out on 29/01 - £19.98
unbudgeted ebay postage on 09/02 - £10.20

Sealed Pot Challenge for Christmas - £50.00
Total: £0 remaining

2010 Savings Funds
Holiday Savings Fund (Singley's) 1: £350 (Amount added in Feb - £100)
Holiday Savings Fund (Family) 2: zero (Amount added in Jan - zero)
Christmas 2010 Savings Fund: £50 (Amount added in Feb - £50)